High-performance
energy savings that
move the world
BEYOND
INSULATION™
RESTAURANT APPLICATIONS
Lowering energy bills
while raising your
level of comfort.
That’s our
mission.
bioPCMat phase change material
™
BioPCMats
The time is now.
Move BEYOND INSULATION™.
To learn more about BioPCM™ visit
PhaseChange.com or call:
800-283-7887
international callers please call
336-301-0557
Polyfilm thickness
Weight per square foot
Total unit thickness
Material width
25C/77
Unit
.3 lb/sq. ft.
.56 lb/sq. ft.
mil
lb
inches
inches
14
0.51
.25-.35
16
14
0.73
.4-.6
16
°F
°F
J/g >
BTU/lb
72-77
75-76
170-200**
73-86
72-77
75-76
170-200**
73-86
Energy Storage values
Optimum working range
Melt point
Latent heat storage capacity
Latent heat storage capacity
*1000 square feet of the .56 lb. bioPCMat will absorb approximately
45,000 BTU’s in transitioning from a solid to a liquid.
**Depends on specific formulation of the product.
Copyright © 2011 Phase Change Energy
Solutions. All rights reserved. The Phase
Change Energy Solutions, Inc. logo,
BioPCM product name and phrase “Beyond
Insulation” are Phase Change Energy
Solutions, Inc. registered trademarks.
Phase Change Energy Solutions
120 E. Pritchard St.
Asheboro, NC 27203
Phone: 336-629-3000
FAX: 336-629-3100
email: [email protected]
www.phasechangeenergy.com
BEYOND INSULATION™
bioPCMat™ uses the power of phase change material to actively absorb and release
heat which aids in maintaining constant, comfortable building temperatures.
HOW bioPCMat™ WORKS:
Restaurants use the most common phase change material every day when they
put ice in their customer’s drinks to keep them cold. As the ice melts it absorbs
heat thus keeping the drink cold. Phase Change Energy Solutions’ bioPCMat™
utilizes a plant based BioPCM material that freezes and melts in the range of 72
to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Our product can be installed in a matter of a few hours,
by simply laying the mat product over the top of existing drop-in ceiling tiles. As
the temperature in the restaurant rises above the melt temp, our bioPCMat phase
change material absorbs the heat helping to cool the structure which causes our
product to melt. As the temperature drops during the nighttime hours, the product
releases the stored heat, warming the building and causing the bioPCMat to
refreeze.
Restaurants generate additional heat at lunch time and dinner time as a result
of increased usage of ovens, griddles and fryers and having a large number of
customers on site. The installation of our BioPCMat product reduces the peak
cooling load on air conditioners at this time and also keeps the kitchen area at a
much more comfortable temperature. This defers some of the required cooling into
the night time when air conditioner units are much more efficient due to a lower
outside temperature thus reducing electricity costs. In a cold climate or in the winter, the excess heat generated at peak operating times is “stored” and is given
back when less heat is being generated inside of the restaurant. This greatly
reduces the total heating bill.
bioPCMat has been installed in many different restaurants in different locations across the United States and Canada. In five separate monitored tests each
restaurant saved at least ten percent on their total energy bills, combined electricity and gas, and in each case saw a payback on product installation of less than
two years.
THE PRODUCT
TEST RESULTS
Our bioPCMat comes in approximate 4 foot precut lengths for easy installation in
ceilings and in approximate 8 foot lengths for installation in walls. Our “25Q” product line is designed at a specific temperature range to achieve excellent energy
savings in restaurants and quick service restaurants. Our phase change material
is not a petroleum product but rather a bio-based product that has a BEES
(Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) rating, and is bio-degradable. The product has a fire retardant added and has an ASTM E 84 class C fire
rating. The phase change material is packaged in an easy to handle and install,
engineered film mat and is “gelled” such that when it melts it remains as a very
thick product that won’t run if the enclosing film is punctured. The bioPCMat
comes with a weighting of .3 pounds of phase change material per square foot,
which is recommended for use in the dining area, or with a weighting of .56
pounds of phase change material per square foot recommended for use in the
kitchen.
It has always been said that pictures speak louder than words and for some this
same concept also works with graphs. The graph to the right, along with some
explanation, shows the results of adding phase change to a building. In this case
the information comes from two small buildings, built to commercial code using
wood framing, R13 insulation in the walls, R 30 insulation in the ceiling, and typical
sheet rock interior finishing. The buildings are identical except that one has our
bioPCMat product placed between the sheet rock and the insulation in the walls and
ceiling and the other does not. In this case neither building has air conditioning or
heating. The black line shows the outside temperature which dropped to about 54
degrees F at 6:00 am and rose to 85 degrees F at 4:00 in the afternoon on the day
of the test. The red line shows the temperature in the insulated building without
phase change material. The temperature dropped during the night to a low of 60
degrees F and then rose in the afternoon to a high temperature of 83 degrees F. In
comparison the blue and brown lines show the temperature in the building that had
the phase change material (pcm) added in the walls and ceiling. The temperature in
the building with pcm stayed between 68 and 73 degrees F during the entire twenty
four hour period.
A test was run at the STAR test facility in Arizona. In this case two building
were constructed which were identical except one had our bioPCMat product
installed in the walls and the ceiling and the other one did not. Over the course of a
year, the building with the phase change material consumed 20 percent less energy
than the control building without PCM. The full details of this test were summarized
in a technical paper written by Arizona State University and which can be found on
our website. The graph at the right shows the air conditioning run time for the two
buildings on a hot summer day near Phoenix. The air conditioner in the building
without the phase change material ran continuously from 2:30 pm until after 7:00
pm (the red graph) and was not able to keep the temperature in the building at the
desired temperature. The air conditioner in the building with the pcm turned on an
off all through the day and was able to keep the building at the temperature set on
the thermostat.
A series of tests were conducted in national brand fast food chains stores ranging from sandwich shops to pizza restaurants. The bioPCMat was placed above the
ceiling tiles in these restaurants and the total energy savings of the restaurants as
measured by metered electricity and gas use has been consistently greater than 10
percent. The time to payout of the various installations has been consistently less
than two years and in areas where electricity costs are higher than the national
average, payout has frequently been less than 18 months. This has held true for
installations across the United States and up into Northern Canada. Phase Change
Energy Solutions offers a product that is environmentally friendly and offers the
business owner an excellent return on investment.
Kansas Gas Savings
Daily Gas Usage
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
Control
PCM
4.00
3.00
INSTALLATION: Ceiling
2.00
Dec-09
Jan-10
Feb-10
Mar-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
The bioPCMat comes in pre-cut lengths, slightly less than four feet in length
designed to lay on top of drop in ceiling tiles. Installation is done by raising up one
ceiling tile and rolling the product out across two adjacent ceiling tiles. Phase
Nov-10
% Savings Gas
45.00%
INSTALLATION: Walls
The bioPCMat comes in pre-cut lengths, slightly less than eight feet in length
designed for placement in walls. Installation is done by attaching the mat to the
studs on the interior wall before installing sheet rock or other interior finishing
material. Because the material goes behind the interior wall it must be installed
during initial construction or as part of a major remodeling project. It is recommended that the .3 pound per square foot material be used in all of the walls
except for those in the kitchen area where the use of .56 will improve the overall
energy savings. Again it is not necessary to have the phase change material every
place so odd shaped or narrow areas can simply be skipped during the installation
process. Also the mat’s design of placing the BioPCM product in small sealed
cubes makes it easy to cut around electrical or other outlet boxes in the wall. More
detailed installation information on wall applications can be found on our website at
www.phasechange.com.
39.19%
40.00%
ORDERING bioPCMat
35.00%
30.00%
22.45%
25.00%
20.00%
change material is thermal mass and unlike insulation, doesn’t need to be everywhere to be effective. You need enough pounds of the phase change material
installed with sufficient surface area for effective heat transfer to take place for an
optimum result. We recommend placing one four foot long by 16 inch wide mat
strip over two of the standard 2’ X 2’ ceiling tiles. This is two thirds coverage of the
actual physical space. Also, material is not placed on a tile that has a light fixture
or a HVAC vent. Thus for a restaurant with a floor space of 3000 square feet,
about 1500 square feet of product would typically be placed in the actual ceiling. It
is recommended that the .56 pound per square foot bioPCMat be placed in the
ceiling over the kitchen, serving area and entrances where the heat load is highest
and that the .3 pound per square foot material be placed over the dining area.
Installation can typically be done within a few hours at night when the restaurant is closed such that business is not interrupted. Installation equipment required
consists of a step ladder to reach the ceiling and a pair of scissors to cut the mat
product where necessary to avoid a light fixture or other obstacle. A more detailed
installation video is available on the Phase Change Energy Solutions webpage,
www.phasechange.com.
25.11%
23.74%
17.65%
16.81%
15.00%
10.00%
Daily Avg. Gas Usage
7.50
4.34%
5.00%
bioPCM™ Performance Analysis
% Savings
Gas
7.00
0.00%
Dec-09
Jan-10
Feb-10
Mar-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
6.50
Nov-10
6.00
5.50
5.00
Control Daily Gas
Usage
BioPCM™ Daily Gas
4.50
4.00
bioPCM™ Performance Analysis
3.50
3.00
BioPCM™ Store kwh usage went down while Control Store kwh usage increased
bioPCM™ Store Kwh usage went down while Control Store Kwh usage increased
2.50
Dec-09
Jan-10
Feb-10
Mar-10
Apr-10
May-10
Jun-10
Control Store vs BioPCM™ Store
% change in avg. daily kwhs in 2010 from 2009
20.00%
15.00%
1402.50
10.00%
1202.50
5.00%
1002.50
0.00%
802.50
-5.00%
BioPCM™ Daily kwh
Usage
Ctrl Daily kwh Usage
602.50
-10.00%
-15.00%
Daily Avg. kwh Usage
402.50
March
April
May
June
July
Ctrl Store
-1.81%
BioPCM™ Store
-4.46%
14.86%
13.44%
13.90%
15.83%
-8.19%
-12.75%
-1.05%
-3.22%
202.50
2.50
Apr-10
May-10
Jun-10
Jul-10
Aug-10
bioPCMat is packed with eight of the approximately four foot long ceiling strips or
four of the approximately eight foot long wall strips in an individual package. Thus
each package contains 42 square feet of product. Price per square foot and per
package of the .3 pound and the .56 pound materials (FOB our factory in
Asheboro, North Carolina) is shown on the current price sheet.
For the typical ceiling installation, take the floor area of the restaurant, divide
that number in half, and then divide by forty-two and round down to the nearest
whole number and that will give you the estimated number of packages of
bioPCMat to order. Use an approximate percentage of kitchen and serving space
to dining space, such as 35 percent and 65 percent and then use that to determine
the number of .56 pound per square foot and .3 pound per square foot packages
to order. When installing in walls, exclude the large panels of windows and doors
and then assume seventy percent coverage of the remaining wall area for a typical
installation. If the walls are 9 or 10 feet high, we would recommend using an 8
foot height in calculating the surface area, as it is not necessary to cut the material
to fill in the additional one or two feet of space. bioPCMat is thermal mass and it
doesn’t require full coverage like insulation
to be highly effective. Take the total number
of square feet of material desired and
divide by 42 for the .56 lb/sq.ft. product and
by 52 for the .3 lb/sq.ft., to determine the
number of packages of material to order.